Under My Skin
by Darkest Angst
Summary: Hiei pays a terrible price for using his jagan to save Kurama's life, but now the team is slowly turning against him when he needs them most. There is a dangerous enemy abusing Hiei through the use of his jagan and the worst is no one believes him.
1. Chapter 1

**New story. Not much to say here other then I guess I'm going to write this one about Hiei. Hehe…he's kind of my favorite. Though Kurama is defiantly up there.**

**This story is going to be rather graphic and deals with themes of rape and such. There's ideas of drinking and other bad habits that one shouldn't pick up.**

**This story is titled "Under My Skin" after the song sung by Alex Johnson in the TV show Instant Star. I love that soundtrack and that song just fueled this idea. It might take a while for this story to get fully underway because at the moment I am working on moving into my first house. Yes, I bought a house. ;)**

**So here is "Under My Skin", I hope you like it!**

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**Under My Skin**

**Chapter One: Finding You**

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_"Oh, he's under my skin,_

_Just give me something to get rid of him_

_I've got my reason now bury it alive,_

_Another little white lie…"_

_Alex Johnson_

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The Makai air was stale, heavy with the scent of thousands of demons. But there was only one demon they were after. Youko Kurama moved through the underbrush, appearing in his ningen form. He raised a nose and slowly sniffed the air. His senses were overrun by the stench of their prey. It was obvious that the one they were after had been running for the past few days, not even stopping to bath. Kurama smiled, showing canine like fangs. Their prey had thought this a smart choice, thinking that not stopping would give him a chance to get ahead. Instead it just increased his stench and made him easier to follow.

Kurama turned around and raised one hand, motioning with two fingers. From behind him appeared the two ningens, Yusuke and Kuwabara, coming out of their hiding spots. Yusuke walked up behind the ancient kitsune and looked over his shoulder.

"How far ahead is he Kurama?" The un-appointed leader asked.

The fox looked up into the tree above him and quirked a brow. A smile pulled at his lips when he saw a few leaves move as if there were a slight breeze.

"I'm not sure Yusuke." He spoke in an even tone. "What do you think Hiei?"

The trees rustled above the detectives once more, but this time the movements were followed by a guttural 'hn.' From the branches came a black blur that stopped in front of the kitsune, body facing forward. The fire demon's body was stiff, crimson orbs narrowed with a subdued intensity.

"He's not that far." Hiei answered, still not bothering to turn and face them. "If that tall baka would stop dragging his feet we should be right on top of him in no time."

Kuwabara blinked before his narrowed eyes grew large and his mouth opened wider then any human's should. A noise came out of his mouth that would send canines running, tail between their legs. Instead it sent Kurama's hands to his ears, a scowl breaking out on his face. There was a black blur behind Kuwabara and a hand slammed upside the back of his head. His squeal was cut short as he stumbled forward with a less painful yelp.

"Shut up." Hiei snarled from his spot behind the fallen ningen. "If you can't recall from that fun little whistle trick you and Botan pulled on me, demon's ears are much more sensitive then those belonging to you blockheaded ningens."

As he stepped over Kuwabara's prone body, Yusuke and Kurama had to hide smirks behind their hands. Hiei hated it when others laughed at his actions, it made him feel like a clown, out to please others. Instead they turned their chuckles onto Kuwabara, moving to make him feel like a moron.

"You heard the hothead." Yusuke taunted, nudging his friend with the toe of his boot. "Let's get going. I want to beat this joker and get home before Keiko starts to worry. Her worrying hurts."

The spirit detective rubbed his jaw as if to emphasis his point. Kuwabara's jaw remained slack as Yusuke and Kurama walked past him and into the underbrush after the stalking fire demon. It was apparent that Hiei wanted this done just as fast as the others. Which was unusual. Hiei normally liked to take his time on Koenma's forced journeys in Makai; it meant he got to stay out of Ningenkai longer. But Yusuke ignored it. He figured the little jaganshi had business that he had to attend to in the other world.

But Kurama wasn't thinking that. He knew there was a reason that Hiei was acting so stiff, even for him. He quickened his paces to catch up with Hiei.

"What is it?" He asked the smaller demon. "What is it about this demon that it bothering you so?"

Hiei didn't look up at Kurama's normal intelligent voice. But he knew that Kurama had hit his mood on the head, to use a ningen cliché. He heaved a quiet sigh, but his eyes remained on the path ahead.

"It's his ki." Hiei spoke in a low tone, knowing Kurama's ears would pick up his words, but not the ningens'. "There is something wrong with his ki, something dark, dirty. It's as though his spirit took a bath in a Makai cease pool. Why did Koenma send us after him? What has he done?"

Kurama paused in thought. To tell the truth, he didn't know. All he knew was that Koenma had called them after a shadow demon lurking near a Ningenkai portal. Without question the Rekai team had sprang into action. But now, the two demons were questioning.

"Hiei, tell me, with your jagan, can you tell anything more about this demon?" The kitsune knew this might be dangerous. Some demons could use Hiei's special attributes against him, especially if this demon was as wrought with darkness as Hiei said he was.

"I could." The small demon responded, finally looking up at his partner. "But I fear the consequences."

This set Kurama back. Hiei was never afraid of anything, even if it put his life in danger. The kitsune fell silent and looked down at his friend. Hiei's face was its normal mask of indifference. But Kurama could see something behind the mask. He could see the fear that no one else would have ever noticed, even if the Forbidden Child's knees were knocking.

"What are we going to do then?" He decided to try a less nerve wracking approach.

Hiei frowned as he pondered the new question. He knew that if they ran head on in attack mode, this demon would wipe the floor with them. But if he used his jagan, he could be putting his own life at risk.

"I don't kn-"

Hiei was cut off when a burst of tainted ki erupted in the area. He stopped dead, the kitsune at his side already armed with his rose whip. Kurama's emerald orbs were narrowed in a dangerous manner. Hiei's hand went to his own sword when a sudden ki raced up his spine, sending tingling through out his limbs. Fear raced through him and he tried to force himself to go for his weapon, but he found that he couldn't will his arm to move. Fear raced through him even stronger then before. He looked up to see Kurama engaged harsh battle with what appeared to a man made out of shadows. The black ki was surging through the small clearing like a lowering cloud.

Panic flared in his small body as he tried desperately to move once more but his limbs were still frozen by some unknown force. He tried to open his mouth to call for the two ningens that were still far behind them, joking and trying to scare each other in the Makai underbrush.

_ 'Bakas!'_ He screamed inside his mind, knowing they wouldn't hear him without the use of his jagan. _'The fox needs help!'_

Desperation entered his inner pleas when he heard the fox cry out in slight pain. But with the fear of using his jagan still hanging over his frozen body, his pleas were going unanswered.

_'So use your jagan young one.'_ A deep voice suddenly whispered throughout the caverns of Hiei's mind. _'You need to save your friends.'_

Hiei's whole body shuddered at the voice. There was someone in his head, someone who knew what he was thinking.

_'Who's there?'_ He screamed into the depths of his thoughts. _'How can you talk to me?'_

The voice chuckled, sending that tingling vibrating through his limbs at a stronger magnitude. Spots burst before his vision and for a moment Hiei thought he was going to faint.

_'Who I am is of no concern, but your friend's safety is. If you want to save him, use the jagan!'_ The voice was almost demanding this time.

Hiei's palms were beginning to sweat. His mind was the only part of his body that could move and it seemed to be in overdrive to make up for the parts that couldn't find motion. What should he do? He risked his own sanity if he used the jagan around this kind of power, but if he didn't he'd risk his only friend's life. It was another pained cry from Kurama that decided his course of events.

Hiei didn't know if he closed his eyes or not, but as his own ki filtered through his body all he saw was that dirty black that was taking over the area. A green light sudden filled the area behind his eyes in an almost blinding light. He could feel his own power building up against the ward that blocked the use of his jagan. His teeth were gritting against the cramping power as it filled his head with a dull throb. He could feel the ward cracking, breaking slowly under the building power. From some distant place he could hear Kurama cry out in a fuzzy voice.

_'Hiei...no!'_

But it was too late. The paralysis was suddenly gone as his hands balled into tight fists. A pained and angry cry burst past his lips as the ward cracked and shattered into white shards. They fell to the darkened earth like winter's first snow. A bright green light flooded from the opened third eye, bathing the area in a brighter, cleaner light.

Suddenly the green in Hiei's mind was slammed by darkness. The purple-black swirled, twisting with the green and forming clashing braids in the confines of Hiei's mind. With the final strand braided together a pain burst forth, seeming to split the small jaganshi's skull in two. He cried out, seeing black and purple spots speckle his vision. His now free arms rose to wrap his fingers in the white-tipped, starburst bangs.

Yet as suddenly as the pain was there, it receded into the far corner of his mind. His body was frozen yet again, stuck between consciousness and oblivion. But the voice, the voice remained.

_'Good my little jaganshi, now we are bonded and I can find you in any world. I will return for you, my little firefly.'_

The voice evaporated and so did the strange hold that was on him. His whole body was numb, and immediately his knees buckled. Just before he hit the ground he heard that voice again, yet this time it wasn't in his mind, it was right beside him.

_"You are mine my little firefly."_

With those final words Hiei hit the ground and was lost in the darkness of a dirty oblivion.

_'I think he's waking up.'_

The voice was fuzzy and Hiei felt like he was stuck under water. Even his breathing was labored. He wanted desperately to open his eyes, but his body still refused to react to his commands. All he could do was lay there and let a moan pass his lips.

"He's defiantly waking up." This voice belonged to Kuwabara. The ningen's normal tone drove a wedge of pain deep into Hiei's skull. He wished he could open his mouth and tell the baka to shut up.

"Good because I have a bone to pick with him." This voice belonged to Yusuke and he sounded pissed. Hiei glowered in his mind. What the hell did that idiot have to pissed about? Hiei had risked his left to save their asses.

"Yusuke!" Kurama's smooth voice was like cold water on a burn to Hiei's abused head. "It wasn't him. It wasn't his fault. I've known Hiei longer then you have, and that wasn't him back there."

What was Kurama talking about? What did they think he did? The only thing he had done was be frozen by an unknown demon, be attack mentally, and have some crazy guy talking in his head. How was any of that his fault?

"What about your injuries Kurama!" Yusuke was yelling now and Hiei knew if he didn't wake soon and tell someone to shut up, his head would explode. "You mean to tell me that wasn't his fault!"

"Yes." There was that cold water again. "He didn't lift a finger to me, didn't attack, he didn't even look at me the wrong way. Hiei did nothing."

"That's the whole point!" There was the screaming, heating up Kurama's cold water. "He did nothing! He froze and let that shadow creep kick your ass! That was as bad as physical attacking you himself!"

Hiei couldn't believe it. Yusuke was blaming him for the attack on Kurama, blaming him for the paralyzing spell that was cast on him. They were talking as though he had turned traitor on them. Anger built up in him, causing his head to throb harder. As soon as that happened, the pain dulled and he moaned. The others were silent for a moment before Kuwabara started the talk again.

"Maybe all the time in Ningenkai is starting to mess with his head." The oaf offered. "You know, maybe his demon side is going crazy. I mean you saw how his creepy third eye just kind of…blew up like that."

"Kuwabara you really scare me sometimes." Kurama muttered, and Hiei could hear the frustration mixing in the kitsune's voice. "I've been in Ningenkai longer then Hiei and my demon side hasn't started to slip into insanity. That's just a preposterous idea."

"Maybe not." Yusuke pointed out. "You're in a human body. Maybe that stops the human world from truly affecting your demon side. I mean, there's got to be a reason that all demons in Ningenkai go evil."

There was a pause, and Hiei realized that Kurama was actually considering what Yusuke had said. He had thought more of the fox's intelligence. Anger was beginning to build in him again. And this time he ignored the headache. How could they? How could they accuse him after the way he risked himself for them?

"You're wrong Yusuke." Kurama suddenly spoke up and stopped Hiei's irate thoughts. "Hiei is not slipping away. Something happened out there today and we need to wait till Hiei wakes up to tell us what it was."

"Well I'll hope it's soon." Kuwabara muttered. "Cause I still think he's crazy."

"Ass…" Hiei finally managed to rasp out, eyes listening to his command to open. The others where fuzzy at first, bodies and faces wavering at a dizzy pace in front of him. Another moan slipped past his lips as he closed his eyes and raised a hand to rub at his eyes. When he opened his crimson orbs a second time, the other three had come into focus. He sat up slowly, surprised at how sore and weak his body was. He glared at the trio, though it was a weak one.

"Well good morning to you too." Yusuke snapped back, returning the glare.

Kurama cast Yusuke a glance that said shut it. The spirit detective sat back in his chair and let the kitsune approach the bed. Kurama sat on the edge of his own bed, watching Hiei with concerned eyes.

"Hiei," Kurama said in a soft tone, "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone hit me with all their ki." He muttered, knowing full well that was what had happened.

Yusuke was suddenly at the side of the bed. He glared down at the bedded youkai as though it was one of their prisoners. Hiei glared back, knowing what was going on the detectives head at the moment. He knew that Yusuke was thinking about those ningen buildings that had the soft walls were they locked people in when they thought they weren't right in the head.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling good because you almost got Kurama killed out there today." Yusuke pointed at the fox and for the first time since he woke, Hiei saw the bruises and bandages. He winced slightly which gave the detective the fuel to go. "You panicked out there, and that mistake nearly killed him!"

"Yusuke, I was hardly near death." Kurama muttered. But his words went unheard when Hiei exploded on his own.

"I did _not_ panic!" He snapped back, wincing only slightly as his head screamed out as well. "I was frozen! By someone else's doing! I couldn't move!"

"Exactly!" Yusuke was now irate. "You couldn't move. And because you couldn't, Kurama was hurt. It's your job to help us, as it is ours to help you. But if you freeze up, you're no help to anyone, not even yourself. And what the hell was up with your jagan? It just went insane! I thought that alone was going to kill us all!"

Hiei jumped up on the bed, despite his protesting body. He wobbled slightly and then regained his composure.

"Killed you?" He snarled. "Killed you? I used my jagan to _save_ you. It nearly killed me! That freak out there wanted me to do exactly what I did! And I catered to him. I gave him what he wanted."

The others in the room fell silent for a moment. Hiei's words were slowly sinking in. It was registering with them that maybe Hiei wasn't slowly loosing it. But the fire demon wasn't done. He could still feel that other's demon's ki brushing against his, tainting his own. And the worst was that voice, it still echoed in his mind. _'My little firefly…'_ He sneered and continued in his ranting.

"When I use jagan around the wrong demons they can use their powers to mold to my own mind." His voice came out in a low hiss. "They can bond to my own ki and make it their own. They can cause insanity, kill me, do anything. And that's what that demon wanted. That's why he dragged us out there, so he could try and bond to me. He froze my body some how so my only hope to help you assholes was to use the jagan!"

He was panting now, fire flashing in his eyes. Kurama's eyes were wide and his face paled. It had been a set up? This strange demon had lured them all out into Makai so that he could get at Hiei; but why? What could Hiei have done recently to cause another strange demon kill him?

"Hiei, don't take offense to this question," Kurama had to crane his neck upward to glance at the standing fire demon. "But what did you do to make this demon angry enough to want to do this sort of thing to you?"

As the kitsune expected, Hiei's eyes narrowed and his mouth pulled down into a frown. Kurama knew the fire demon thought they were accusing him of wrong doing. Which they weren't. But Hiei wouldn't care.

The fire demon didn't answer. Instead, he turned and leapt on to the windowsill. His normal quick movements were sluggish, which worried Kurama. Hiei raised a hand and pushed open the window. He turned his gaze on the others and Kurama held back a gasp. Underneath that mask the jaganshi always wore was hurt. They had bruised his trust in them.

"I've never meet this creature before." All the anger was out of his voice. It was now a sound of defeat. "And I hope to never again. I'm leaving. Find me next time Koenma gets another damn mission."

"Hiei wait!" Kurama started, but he was interrupted by Yusuke who made an angry step towards the perched fire demon.

"Who said you could leave yet?" The detective snarled. "You still need to explain what that demon did to you. He could have easily messed with your head which would explain your suddenly strange behavior."

"Yusuke!" Kurama yelped.

"I don't have to answer to you." Hiei interrupted Kurama's attempt at speech again. But he didn't care. None of them believed him. They all thought that he had panicked out there and froze up out of fear. He had done neither. It was that voice, that damn voice that had done it.

Suddenly that same tingling washed over Hiei's body, causing his limbs to go numb. He groaned as his body slumped up against the window frame. In a fuzzy distant he could hear the others calling his name. But he couldn't respond to them. From somewhere deep in his mind came a soft brushing of tainted ki. Hiei's stomach rolled and knotted into a ball of nausea.

_'My little firefly'_ The voice taunted, it was back. _'They do not believe you, they do not trust you. You're alone, with only me, my little jaganshi…'_

No, no, it wasn't true. Hiei brought his hands up to his head and drew in a hissing breath. They did believe him. At least Kurama did and he'd be able to convince the others. This voice was just some temporary effect from using his jagan around that other demon.

_'You keep thinking that firefly.'_ The voice laughed, taunting him even further. _'But you'll see, they are going to leave you alone with only me. Just me and you little Forbidden Child…'_ There was the soft feeling of a hand on his arm.

"No!" He screamed, slapping at the hand. A yelp reached his ears and washed away the tingling. His breathing returned to normal, but the nausea remained thick in his stomach. Cracking open his crimson orbs he saw Yusuke glaring at him, and Kuwabara slack jawed. What was worse was he saw Kurama standing their, holding a bleeding hand close to his chest.

That's when it hit Hiei. That hadn't been the owner of the voice touching him, it had been Kurama. And he had hit the fox. And because of this, they would lose their trust in him. His face suddenly hardened. It didn't matter what they thought, he didn't need them to hold his hand through this.

"Hiei," Yusuke suddenly spoke up, his brown orbs dark. "I suggest you leave. We'll contact you when we need you again next."

His anger suddenly evaporated at the realization that they were kicking him out. He looked at them. Yusuke's anger was written all over his face, while Kuwabara was silenced by a confused shock. Yet Kurama's face was a mask of worry. Hiei sighed and without another word he leapt out the window. As he disappeared into the darkness he could have sworn he heard the fox's voice calling him back.

But he didn't stop. He ran on into the forest, only a few words following him.

_'My little firefly…'_

**Okay, chapter one is done! I'm really going to like this story…it's going to be good. Granted this chapter was a little fast and choppy but that was just to get things rolling. In the next chapter things slow down and return a normal pace.**

**In the next chapter Koenma calls on the team again. While some members of the team are still wary about working around Hiei, the toddler ruler has something that might help them, a secret weapon to help them track down this escaped shadow demon. But this is one secret Hiei could have dealt without. With the team looking at shaky times, this could be a dangerous mission.**

**Oh, and I have an odd and strange question. In your opinion, if Hiei were a dog, what kind would he be? Something small, like a Corgi, or something more serious, like a pure black German Shepard? I know its odd, but could you please let me know what you think.**

**Oh yes, and please review. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2: Secret Weapon

**Okay, here's chapter two. I'm loving this story! I'm enjoying writing this one. I enjoy drawing Hiei and the others into complete angst. And this story is just going to rip them apart. ;) Evil am I…haha**

**But I feel I must offer another warning that this story is going to be a very graphic story with things that not everyone agrees with. (I'm not talking yaoi, exactly, but more like drinking and rape and such)**

**Okay, and another note, this is not going to be a Hiei/Kurama story, nor is it going to be a Hiei/with any of the other Rekai team. Just thought that was something that should be cleared. It's not that I don't like that, in fact, I'm rather fond of a Hiei/Kurama pairing as long as it's done tastefully. There actually maybe a Kurama/Hiei What if fic in the near future! ;)**

**With that said, please enjoy chapter two!**

**Under My Skin**

**Chapter Two: Secret Weapons**

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Hiei walked through the halls of the great Rekai palace, feet dragging him a few steps behind the others. He had spent a cold night in a tree, dreaming about tainted ki and fireflies. It was a shock when Kurama hunted him down early in the morning, saying the entire team needed to meet at Koenma's. It was apparent that the toddler needed to talk to them about the fiasco that went down the other day.

When they had meet where Botan said to, it was obvious the others hadn't gotten over it either. Yusuke was still nothing more then a brown eyed glare, his distrust somewhat shocking. The spirit detective had always stood up for him, even when Kuwabara was questioning Hiei's motivation in Maze Castle. And now it was Yusuke who was the first to turn a cold shoulder. It seemed that Yusuke was more caught on his teammates then he was on trust, and in his eyes, Hiei had put the team in danger.

Kuwabara still seemed confused which wasn't such a shock. The tall ningen was usually slower in coming about on what he thought. But it was strange because he had always been the last to trust the fire demon. Some where between fighting the Saint Beasts and killing demons left and right in the tournament, a spark of trust had formed between them. And to Kuwabara trust was important.

And Kurama, the only other demon on the team, seemed lost in worry. It seemed the kitsune knew that there was something off in Hiei's head. To Kurama friendship and trust were above all else, even his own life. His green orbs were narrowed as the wheels were whirling behind them. He was trying to think of what was truly going on.

Hiei decided that staying a step behind them was best. He had been on the receiving end of all their attacks, and while Kuwabara's was weak at best, the other twos' could do some heavy damage. Beside that, his own head was spinning. He hadn't heard the voice since the night before, yet that dirty feeling seemed to be clinging to him like a second skin. He was also bothered by what he had seen and heard when he used his jagan in the forest late that night. All he wanted to do was see if he could see if the others were trying to follow him. At first he saw the others' ki settled in Kurama's house, but their ki was flaming, they were angry. Probably at him. Then there was the head splitting pain again, and before his eyes appeared the same twisted braids of purple-black and green. And the voice came back, whispering in his ear once more.

_'Now I can find you my little firefly, now we can be-'_

"Are you listening Hiei!"

Hiei snapped out of his thoughts and blinked, giving him the appearance of being a small child. He saw Yusuke leaning over him, brown eyes cold as ice as he waited for an answer to a question Hiei hadn't heard.

"What?" He allowed his face to fall slack again. He was trying his best to appear normal, unaffected. Hopefully the others would let this blow over as just a one time thing, a side effect from using his jagan like he had.

"Figures." Yusuke muttered, his frustration still flaming. It seemed this wasn't something that the detective would drop any time soon. "I said we need to tell Koenma about what happened. He might want to pull you from the case."

Betrayal flared up inside Hiei like a fire. Pull him from the case? What did Yusuke think this was? One of those ningen crime shows his drunken mother watched? His hands curled up into fists and he returned the fiery glare.

"We will not speak a word of it to that toddler." He hissed in return. "Nothing happened out there. It was a fluke and it will not happen again."

"He's right Yusuke." Kurama came and stood beside Hiei, his emerald orbs gentle and remaining neutral. "You know we can't do this without Hiei. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and let this one slide."

The detective glowered at the two demons but finely conceded and turned, stalking into Koenma's office. Kuwabara, still in the dark, followed after him. Kurama offered Hiei a sorry smile before going in after the others.

Hiei sat in the hall for a second longer after the others had gone in. A heavy sigh passed his lips. He wasn't weak and this was only a fluke. He needed to show the others that he was the same person. Then a second thought slammed into him. He didn't need to prove it to them, they should already know. All he had to do was remain true to himself and the others would realize that there was nothing wrong with him. Letting his features go emotionless he entered the office.

Suddenly he was slammed with a dark ki, the same dirty ki that had hit him in the clearing. He stopped waiting for that same numbing feeling to take over him. But it never came. Instead he realized that the ki was coming from a source in the office. Hiei rushed the last couple steps, expecting to see a full fledge battle going on in the room. Instead the team was standing in front of Koenma's desk. Koenma raised a brow when Hiei burst into the room. Flanking the toddler's right side was his assistant, the oni George. But on the other was a ningen looking man. The only difference was the point tipped ears and the long purple black hair. He was tall, with a slender but well toned frame. His smile revealed two stubby fangs. He let his ice blue orbs settle on Hiei. A shiver ran down the jaganshi's spine as he was caught under the glare. The dark ki in the room was emanating from this demon. Hiei wanted to pull out his katana and attack the man on the spot. But any kind of actions like that from him would prove the others right and he'd be spending some long days in a Rekai prison. Instead he growled low in his throat and hung back against the far wall. Yusuke rolled his eyes at the jaganshi and turned back to the toddler king.

"So that shadow demon is still lurking near portals?" The detective asked. "What the hell does he want?"

Koenma sighed, not in the mood first this group this early in the morning. "We don't know Yusuke." He muttered. "But our reports show that last night, he breeched a border temporarily into Ningenkai. We don't know what he's after, but he's left me no choice. Team, I'd like you to meet Kakuzo. He's going to be joining your team until we can catch this youkai."

Hiei was up from his lounging position against the wall in a second. His crimson orbs went wide and he sputtered slightly before finally forming the word of his choice.

"What?" He almost yelped. Koenma was going to let someone with such a dark ki accompany them into Makai. Not to mention that it was the same tainted ki as the one whom they were after. And all these people thought _he_ was loosing it.

"And what's wrong with that?" Yusuke snapped, almost daring Hiei to go and buy his own ticket off the case.

Hiei opened his mouth to point of the ki in the air, but then it hit him. None of them could feel it. Yesterday in Makai, Kurama hadn't felt the dirty air. And now Koenma was signing him over to the team, and no one but him had a problem with it. He shut his mouth with a hn. Koenma blinked slowly but then continued on.

"Kakuzo is a shadow demon specialist." The toddler explained. "His family has been studying them for thousands of years to try and find out what makes them so strong. I figured he'd be an asset to this case, since none of you obviously know anything about them."

Kakuzo smiled and stepped forward. He nodded at the team.

"It's going to be a pleasure working with you all." His voice was deep, and it darkened Hiei's scowl. "The first thing you need to know about shadow demons is they have no powers of their own. Once they meet a demon they can print that demon's power and use it as their own. Say this youkai had just fought an ice demon, from that moment on he'll be able to use ice powers. They are very tricky youkai."

Kurama nodded. "That explains his shadow whip when he was fighting me. It was his own variation of my own power."

"So we have to learn to fight fire with fire." Yusuke's brow furrowed slightly at the prospect. He turned his gaze up to the toddler. "When do we go back after this guy?"

"Immediately." Koenma answered. "I have Botan preparing the portal as we speak. I warn you though, you maybe in Makai a while. I also have Botan preparing your supplies."

"Wonderful." Kakuzo gave the team a fanged smile.

"Yes," Hiei muttered under his breath, "Wonderful."

Yusuke held the tiny box out in the palm of his hand. It was about as wide as a quarter and as thick as someone's thumb. When infused with someone's ki it would grow and form a basic camp site, all necessities included. Shaking his head he slipped the little box in his pocket.

"Koenma has got to find something better to do with his time." He joked, his mood lifted lightly from earlier.

"Would you prefer carrying a large pack through the Makai underbrush?" Kurama pointed out, smiling at his jab.

The detectives joined in a laugh at the joke, unaware of two glares set on their back. One set came from Kakuzo who walked only a couple of paces behind the group. His blue eyes were cold. He couldn't believe that this group of chatty, immature kids were supposed to stop this shadow youkai. At this rate it would never happen. He looked over his shoulder to see the fourth team member Hiei straggling behind. There was a look of pure hatred on his face. Kakuzo smirked and slowed his steps until he was walking in pace with the jaganshi.

"Now don't you look happy." He taunted the fire demon.

"Don't talk to me." Hiei growled, quickening his own steps to move ahead of the new youkai.

Kakuzo laughed before matching Hiei's strides with his own. "Now why do you hate me? What have I done to you little jaganshi?"

Hiei snapped. Within the blink of an eye, his katana was unsheathed and the tip centimeters away from Kakuzo's throat. His lip pulled back in an evil snarl. Luckily the others were too far ahead to hear or see what the other two were up to. Hiei would have a hard time explaining why he was holding their new team member at sword point.

"Don't call me that and don't talk to me." He snarled. "You may be fooling my teammates but you aren't fooling me. I know who you are and what you're up to. You won't get to me and you certainly won't use your powers to get control of my jagan or me."

Kakuzo surprised him by laughing. Suddenly Hiei's feet felt like lead. He looked down to see the shadows beneath him swirling around his feet. A gasp escaped him as he tried to pull back, but his feet were frozen to the spot. Kakuzo kept chuckling as he pushed the sword tip down and walked closer to the frozen jaganshi.

"My little firefly, you misunderstand." He leaned in close so that their faces were only inches apart. "I already have all I want from your jagan. I was able to bond enough of my own ki to yours to be able to control you as much as I wish. You see, what I truly want is you."

Hiei swung out quickly with his sword, but instead of making deadly contact, Kakuzo's body shifted and formed around the blade. The katana slid through his body as though it was passing through smoke. The shadow youkai smirked.

"Now stop that." He chuckled, grabbing a hold of the sword. The contact sent shock waves up Hiei's arms, freezing them like his feet. His katana suddenly seemed to weigh tons and dragged his arms down. The blade clattered to the ground, useless just like its owner. Kakuzo nudged it aside before approaching the jaganshi.

"You see Hiei, I've been…intrigued by you ever since I saw you fighting in that dark tournament." Kakuzo continued. "So I tore through Makai, trying to find out everything about you that I could. You have a very interesting history Hiei, painful and full of hurt. The very kind I love. Once I knew enough about you, I was able to form a proper plan to capture you. I learned that while you put up a tough front, you truly worried about your only demon teammate, that kitsune Kurama. I watched how you fretted over him in the dark tournament. I saw how upset you were when you thought that robot monster had killed him, how scared you were when he had to fight Touya with out his spirit energy, and how angry you got when Bakken used his unconscious body as a punching bag. You almost gave your life to attack that monster. Though I don't blame you, the fox is very attractive. But it was you who really peaked my interest. I mean, how could I not be intrigued when I saw that dragon?

"In all honesty Hiei, I've wanted you from the day I first saw you. Learning more about you only made my want stronger, my lust deeper." Kakuzo leaned in close, lips only inches from Hiei's. His tongue crept out from between his lips and slithered, long like that of a snake. Its tip trailed up the side of the jaganshi's neck, leaving a smooth trail of salvia. Hiei gasped as his already frozen body grew stiffer. "I want you and I will have you my little firefly."

"Don't…touch…me." Hiei managed to rasp out. He wanted desperately to pull away from the shadow demon's tainted touch. But he could not bring his body to listen to his mind's commands. So much for this whole thing being a fluke.

Kakuzo chuckled and pulled back. He flashed Hiei a fanged grin. "But you must let me finish my brilliant story before you lose your temper. You see, while watching you I've realized something else that I needed to do in order to truly have you to myself. I saw how closely your little team guarded each other's lives and well being. I knew that none of them, especially the only other demon on the team, would ever let me get close enough to you to do what I wanted. I had to make it so they didn't care what happened to you. It's the oldest trick in the book, my dearest, divide and conquer.

"I knew that turning Yusuke against you would be the easiest. His faith lies wholly on his team. If something disrupts his team, say your standing there and watching Kurama get beaten and doing nothing but shouting in your own head, his trust would instantly be turned."

Hiei flinched, knowing that Kakuzo was right. It was going to take a lot, something big if he was going to get Yusuke to trust him again. Something like saving all their asses from this shadow youkai. But then again, he'd have to prove to them first that Kakuzo was really wasn't who he said he was.

"The other two may prove more difficult." Kakuzo was still taunting, not giving Hiei the time to proper form a plan in his throbbing head. "To get that loud oaf to turn on you, I must find a way to get you to break his trust. Maybe finding out that his dearest Yukina's long lost brother has always been right under their noses would put him over the edge. What do you think my little Firefly?"

Hiei could only summon the energy to do one thing. Drawing in a deep, wet breath, he exhaled. A shiny ball of spit hit Kakuzo beneath his right eye. All of Hiei's anger was laced in the action. But Kakuzo only smiled and brushed it away.

"And what of your closest companion, Kurama?" The shadow youkai continued in his taunting. "You must harm him yourself, I believe, in order to lose his trust. Ah yes, but this will all come in due time. For know I will rather enjoy our secret little rendezvous, yes my jaganshi?"

"Bastard." Hiei managed to ground out. His body was growing weaker under Kakuzo's steady power surge. He had never felt so weak in his life and he was growing to hate it with all the fire that burned inside him.

"Kakuzo? Hiei?" The call came from a good distance away, but the irritation could be heard in the detective's voice. Hiei felt his first surge of hope in the past two days. If they came and saw this, they would know the truth. They would know that Kakuzo was a double agent.

"Looks like play time is over." Kakuzo sighed, frowning slightly as he took a step back from Hiei's still frozen body. But soon a smile graced his lips. "But let's have one last quick go round, my little firefly."

Hiei's body tensed as Kakuzo slid a hand underneath his shirt. The shadow youkai's slender fingers ran gently up his toned chest sending shivers down the jaganshi's spine. Then, without warning, he latched on tightly, those fingers becoming bars that gripped down tightly. A cold sensation rushed through Hiei's body as a layer of ice slowly incased itself around his pale flesh. Fire apparitions never faired well against ice and cold. Hiei slowly felt his reserve fading, his lids drooping as his weakening body begged him to give in.

Suddenly a blinding pain shot through his head as his jagan ripped through the ward and flew open in a bright flash of light. He saw the green and purple-black braids growing tighter before his eyes, the green slowly becoming suffocated by the tainted ki. His lips parted as a pained scream erupted past. The darkness slammed up upon him, with words faintly whispering in his ear.

_"Divide and conquer, my little fire fly, divide and conquer…"_

**Chapter two is done! Woo hoo! Needless to say though…I'm not to happy with this chapter. Agh! I could make this story so much better too! Oh well, you know the basic plot, so please, read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**GOMEN! I'm sorry it took so long to get this next chapter out, but I had so many papers due. I had two stories due for my fiction class on the same day. Talk about sucky. But I think most of the papers are behind me, so now I will thank my dedicated reviewers!**

Forbiddensoul562: **Thank you so much for the kind review. I'm going to have to read your story when I'm done with this chapter. .**

kikira-chan: **Sorry, I didn't mean to depress you, but hey, I love writing angst and I'm good at it. And as far as him getting the short end of the stick, they say you hurt the ones you love most….though I don't believe it in all cases…anyhow, hope you like the next chapter and it doesn't depress you too much.**

Animefouryou:** Thanks for the good review, I thought the opening was kind of weak and confusing since it kind of threw you into immediate action. But popular demand is beginning to show me that I was wrong!**

Laurencia:** Another person praising the beginning…apparently it wasn't as bad as I thought…any way…here's more for you! **

Shinoga Hibiki: **Hope I'm keeping the story interesting enough for you!**

Yamistar**: Piece of art? That's the first time anyone's called my work a piece of art. Makes me all happy and excited. Thank you and here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long!**

Fallen Angel Akane**: As far as the jagan torture goes, I wanted to take an approach that showed it really wasn't a natural part of Hiei's body so it could be used by multiple sides, if you get what I mean…great…now I'm confused by what I was trying to say… ;;; Any way, I have another story in the works that involves Hiei and his jagan that I think will throw you for another loop…and I'm taking Hot-Wheels-rickty-track-larger-then-needed-cars-normally-fall-off-kind of loop. Hehe…**

Yamistar**: Thanks for the second great review! And I don't have a beta of anything like that, I just read my stories afterwards. And what I meant is that there won't be any official pairings in this story. Only 'rape' scenes between Hiei and Kakuzo, and if you want to look at in terms of uke/seme…Hiei will most defiantly be the uke, seeing as he the abused.**

Forbiddensoul562**: What's going to happen next? Read and find out! .**

BlueUtopiah**: Yes, I noticed that all Hiei based fictions tend to end up revolving around the kitsune. I mean, don't get me wrong, Kurama's awesome…but I'm much more of a fan of the Hiei angst.**

laly-abaly**: You like Kakuzo? Now there's a first, but don't worry…there will be plenty of Hiei angst to come. I'm not done with jaganshi yet!**

kara mcpherson**: Librianian? I am I causing misbehavior on school grounds? AWESOME!**

**Anyway…thanks for the awesome reviews guys and I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but here's chapter three, I hope it's to your liking!**

**Under My Skin**

**Chapter Three: Hidden Lies, Forced Secrets**

****

_"Is he waking up?"_

_ "It's about time! I can't believe he would let himself get attacked so easily!"_

_ "Yeah and what's up with his creepy eye? Why's it acting all strange? Eek! It's looking at me!"_

Hiei wanted to tell the voices to shut up, but the mere thought of talking caused his head to throb. So it was decided, he would stay quiet for the time being. A shiver ran down his body. Why was he so damn cold? And why did his head throb? It felt as though he had been caught in a youkai stampede. His fingers twitched slightly in an attempt to move up to rub his throbbing temples. But much like the idea to talk, the gesture was decided if it was better left alone.

The feeling of dirty air suddenly filled Hiei's lungs as he was overpowered by a familiar tainted ki. It was then he remembered Kakuzo and his plot. No it was game, this whole thing was a game to him.

"Kuwabara it's not looking at you." The kitsune's voice came out in a scolding tone. "The jagan is not a normal eye, and can't move around and look at things. It's powered by Hiei."

Hiei flinched inwardly. Right now the jagan wasn't under his control. It was under Kakuzo's, being used as though Hiei had never mastered it. He wanted to open his mouth and tell the others what really happened, why Kakuzo was playing so nice and what he planned to do to the small group. The shadow youkai in hiding was the one planning on hurting his friends and Hiei knew that come the end, he would be blamed for it. Unless he spoke up now. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but found his lungs frozen and for a moment, he couldn't even pull in air.

Kakuzo! Hiei knew that was what was happening. Kakuzo was using his powers to Hiei from telling the others the truth just long enough for him to spin another web of lies, drawing the Rekai Tentai deeper into his trusting web of lies. He screamed out in his head, trying to break free but was only rewarded by a flash of pain that needled through his jagan and spread out. Hiei's head reeled at the pain, and he decided that at the moment, it would best to remain still, lest he wanted his head to explode.

"It was an ice youkai." Kakuzo finally began his lie of a story, turning the other's minds away from Hiei before he would even get the chance to explain his side. "Hiei was arguing with me, saying I shouldn't have joined the group because I would slow you down. Then the youkai took us by surprise. I think Hiei was so mad he didn't sense him because he got a nice shot off, freezing Hiei's side. I believe Hiei wanted to use his jagan to summon more power, but have time before the ice took effect. When you guys came running the youkai fled. That's when you found us, well actually me caring Hiei. I'm sorry I couldn't help him sooner. I don't know why he hates me. I tried to help."

Hiei was now trashing about, even though his body remained still. His mind was throwing out threat after threat, curses break free in every language he knew. The jaganshi was seeing red and he wanted nothing more then to break free of this wretched hold and wrap his hands around Kakuzo's neck. It would feel great to slowly squeeze the life out of him.

"Hiei's an asshole." Yusuke suddenly spoke up. "He doesn't like or care for anyone but himself. He's a selfish little bitch, so don't let it bug 'ya. He's never showed an ounce of concern for anyone but himself."

The fire apparition suddenly stopped in his mental ramblings, his whole body going colder then the ice could ever make him. Was that how Yusuke truly felt? Even after all that time he spent helping him, risking his lives with the saint beasts and at the dark tournament, being called countless names of rejection from his fellow youkai? Hiei felt a part of him go silent as the walls around his heart slowly began to rebuild themselves.

It was apparent that Kakuzo was pleased with this response because Hiei felt his hold loosen at the moment. His eyes snapped open, crimson flashing in a moment of fury and sadness, while his lungs kicked back into action, pulling in the dirty air that surrounded the shadow youkai. A pain flared up in his midsection and Hiei flinched, arm moving quickly to wrap around his stomach as his form hunched over.

The other's in the group blinked, startled by the jaganshi's sudden return to consciousness. The only one who managed to seem some what calm was Kakuzo, but this went unnoticed by the others.

Hiei looked down at his left side, pulling the shirt up gently. There was a large patch of raw skin that looked as though someone had burned his flesh. Which was in idea, what had happened. The ice Kakuzo has used on him was too cold for the skin of a fire apparition and had burned his very flesh. The wound ached, and the slightest movement sent a tingling sensation of pain across the area. He let his breath hiss out between his clenched teeth. Turning to the others, he was somewhat shocked to find them all starting at him, Yusuke with a cruel gaze.

"Why the hell are you all staring at me for?" He grunted. Hiei knew perfectly well why they were, but he had to play along with Kakuzo's little plot for now, hoping it kept things from getting too ugly.

"Hiei, you need to relax." Kurama moved to his and Hiei to hold back on his sigh of thanks. At least Kakuzo hadn't been able to turn the fox's mind yet. "You took a direct blast from an ice youkai. You know that's dangerous to you. You should have been paying more attention."

Hiei grunted and turned away from the fox. He _had_ been paying attention to the one who had done it and still wasn't able to stop them. His crimson orbs to settle a glare on Kakuzo who just gazed back innocently, as though he were attempting a friendship and not a hostile take over.

"Hey asshole." Yusuke suddenly called, snapping Hiei's attention to the fuming spirit detective. "What the hell were you doing yelling at Kakuzo like that? He's a part of this team now, more so then you I think. If you weren't so busy playing high and mighty maybe you would have been able save your own skin!"

Hiei flinched from a mixture of the barb in Yusuke's words and the stinging sensations caused by some medicinal herbs Kurama had begun applying to his wound. But his features soon grew stiff and he glared back at the detective. He wasn't going to play into Kakuzo's trap and beg for their forgiveness and understanding.

"You have no idea what you're talking about detective, as usual." Hiei's voice was low as he rose to his feet, pulling his injury out of the worrying fox's grasp. He moved a few steps away from them on legs that felt like rubber. In the back of his mind he prayed that his body would hold out long enough to allow him to make his point and end with a dramatic escape.

"Bitch." Yusuke bristled at Hiei's comment, rising to his full height and looming over the jaganshi. His brown eyes were dark. "You think you're too tough Hiei, that's your problem. But you're nothing more then a scared little outcast with no trust left. I thought that when you first joined us, we could help you. But you only fought by our sides for the joy of killing! It would mean nothing to you if we had all died in that tournament as long as you got out!"

"Yusuke…" Kurama's voice was distant, as though he couldn't believe the outburst he was hearing. But the detective ignored it and kept on going.

"I trusted you enough to protect you, help you, even keep your secrets from my best friend and all for what! So you could turn into a stone cold prick when you felt you didn't need our help anymore! You don't care about anyone other then yourself, Hiei!"

"You know that's not true Yusuke." Kurama was now standing, wanting to end this before things got really out of hand. "Hiei cares. What about Yu-" The fox stopped immediately and turned his head away, refusing to finish the statement with Kuwabara in ear shot.

"Yes." Yusuke voice now took on a sinister tone. "He does care about someone, just not enough to tell her the real truth she's been searching for all these years. You dance underneath her nose, taunting her with all that she's wanted to know in her life, she even entrusted you wit her tear gem, the one meant for her brother that would be returned when he found her. Yet you still hold it like the selfish bastard you are. Why haven't you given it back yet and made her happy? Do you truly care too much about your image to make her happy?"

Hiei's body had long sense lost feeling. His crimson orbs drifted to Kuwabara who was sitting there, mouth a gape. His small eyes were shinning with anger and tears as he fought his lips to move with speech. "Yusuke…what are you saying?" The tall ningen asked in a shaky and distant voice.

But the detective never removed his steely gaze from Hiei's frozen form. But this time it wasn't Kakuzo's doing that held him still, it was his own betrayed mind. Yusuke sneered and continued his ranting.

"What I'm saying is Hiei here is Yukina's real brother." He hissed. "And he won't tell her because he doesn't want her to find him."

Gasps rose up in the camp, but Hiei wasn't sure who they came from. His head was spinning as the truth was revealed once more. But now to Kuwabara who would most certainly tell his love the minute he saw her next. Hiei's hands gripped into fists as he closed his eyes. He could feel it coming and he wasn't going to stop it. He knew he deserved it.

Kuwabara's fist slammed into the side of his face, tossing the jaganshi's head to the side and knocking him to the ground. Hiei made no move to get up, just lay on the ground beneath the two ningens, hearing the sound of tears trailing down Kuwabara's face. The tall orange haired one finally managed to speak in a tone more hateful the Yusuke reached in all of his yelling.

"Bastard." He said, the hate dripping from the word and coating Hiei in its darkness. "How could you do that to Yukina, knowing how hard and long she's looked for you? She can't return to her island and it is all your fault. Yet you try and act as though you don't care for her?"

Hiei said nothing, just lay in a heap on the ground, eyes looking down at the ground. His breathing was quiet, and for a moment it seemed he wasn't breathing at all. His mind had long sense shut down, leaving the only thing that reached him being the hateful words from his teammates. There was the sound of feet crunching near his head and he picked up on Kurama's distinct ki.

"Stop it right now." The fox demanded, voice full of a motherly concern. "Hiei had his reasons for not telling her. But what were ours' Yusuke? Both you and I knew as well and we never said anything, when he had the full ability to. And Kuwabara, you are too quick to jump to awful conclusions. The reason Hiei said nothing was because he cared too much for the Koorime. He had the jagan implanted just so that he could find her, and we all know that that is one of the most painful operations to undergo. He never told her because he didn't want to shame her by having such brother with a history and record like he does. Yukina doesn't picture her brother's hands drenched in blood, and Hiei never wants her too. It's a noble reason, more noble then ours!"

Hiei's hands balled into fists, catching tufts of grass between his fingers. He couldn't stand how they were talking about him as though he weren't there. Growling into the dirt, he slowly began to push himself to his feet. But the three above him were too involved in each to notice.

"Kurama, you knew it wasn't our place to say anything!" Yusuke shouted back at the kitsune. "Just like we all know your true self but say nothing to your mother! It's not our place. If you want her to know, you'll tell her the truth!"

Hiei was now on his knees, still fuming silently.

"Yes but you don't despise me for not telling her!" Kurama shouted back, not liking the fact that his mother had now been brought been into the whole idea. "Yet you chastise Hiei for making the same decision as me?"

Hiei was standing, but being a good head shorter then the others, remained out of their cross firing scopes.

"This is different Kurama!" Kuwabara was now yelling at the fox. "Yukina's been searching for years, she knows her brother is out there somewhere. But your mother doesn't know the truth or even an inkling of it so she doesn't search for the truth! Yukina does and it breaks her heart not being able to find him, when the bastard was under her nose the whole time! The least he could have done was given her back her tear-"

"_Enough!_" Hiei suddenly shouted, a burst of his angry ki rushing past the others and silencing them. His crimson orbs were set in deadly slits. "Just shut up, all of you. You're fools to think you understand any of what is going on. You're all being played and it's not by me." He stopped when he felt a familiar tingle of ki run down his spine. It was time to change his approach. With a grunt he turned from the others and began walking towards the woods.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Yusuke snapped after him.

"Why should we care?" Kuwabara raised his arms and crossed them over his chest, walking to the other end of the camp site. "Let the bastard run off, it's what he's good at."

Hiei snarled and turned around, leveling his team with one stare. "I'm going where ever I want." He said pointedly. "And don't try and stop me. I'm in no mood to listen to you all fight like a group of silly ningen school girls."

Hiei blurred and was gone. Kurama was the only one able to see running at full speed from tree top to tree top. The kitsune sighed, feeling his heart go out to his teammate. The team was turning against him one by one, and no matter what Kurama tried to say, they weren't listening. But the fox knew that if this didn't stop soon, Hiei would close up all the doors he had begun to open and disappear from them forever.

And yet, Kurama couldn't shake the feeling that there was something Hiei was trying to tell him. Something that the others just wouldn't listen to.

"What is it Hiei?" He whispered into the woods after the fleeing jaganshi.

Kakuzo suddenly appeared at his side, not making a noise as he moved. Kurama jumped slightly, not having expected their newest member to move so fluidly.

"I will go after him." The shadow demon expert said in a sad tone. "I feel this is my fault, I'm making him feel threatened. Please try and let me work things out with Hiei."

Kurama nodded and Kakuzo moved into the woods, running after Hiei. When he was out of distance of the others a smile graced his lips.

"I'm coming Hiei." He chuckled, allowing his body to shift into the shadows for faster transportation. "It's play time again."

**Hiei** stopped on a branch, tired body not wanting to move forward any more. He sat back against the tree's trunk and sighed. Moving slowly, he tied another ward around his jagan. When ever the third eye was open, it caused his head to throb. And the idea of having a constant headache did sound to alluring to him. Once that task was done, he turned his eyes on the darkening skies. Night was falling over Makai, and Hiei welcomed it. In the mask of darkness, he could hide from everyone.

His thoughts drifted to the scene that had happened at the camp only short minutes ago. So now that baka new the truth about his beloved's missing brother. The oaf must have been sorely let down. He had known that Hiei had sister after Yusuke had questioned him in the House of Four Dimensions about his sister's name. Even then, Kuwabara had been too foolish to put it together. Even though it hadn't really been the fool, he knew Genkai had been allowing him to watch the whole ordeal. Now that secret was out. Hiei knew the oaf wouldn't be able to keep his mouth closed for more then a split few seconds before bursting the whole story out to Yukina in some high squeaky voice and then apologizing for not having found out sooner.

And then there was Yusuke. Hiei had only seen Yusuke point that hatred at few others, and he knew it was a list he did not want a permanent spot on. He had said Hiei didn't care. If truly didn't care then why had he risked his neck saving Yusuke from Sniper that one time? The very memory caused a snarl to rise up and he turned, quickly punching the tree and leaving a dent.

"Damn them!" He shouted. "Damn them all!"

"Now is that really a way to talk about your team members my little firefly?"

Hiei whirled around at the voice and was hit with the same tainted ki. Except this time he didn't feel the tingle, and his body didn't freeze. Free to use his limbs this time he rose to his feet and lunged at the shadowy form that was Kakuzo. But the fist that had been aimed at his jaw slid right through the shadow as if passing through air. Hiei whirled around with a growl. "Astro-projection." He hissed.

A pair of arms suddenly slid up Hiei's sides, wrapping over his shoulder and allowing the hands to clasp behind his neck, locking him tight in a restraint. Hiei yelped and tried to pull forward, but he couldn't move. He hadn't felt the ki from behind him, it had come from his front. So what or who the hell was behind him? He turned to look and saw that vines had grown out of the top layer of the tree and were now holding him firmly in place. His crimson orbs went wide with fear.

"You forget, I fought your friend Kurama." Kakuzo chuckled, slipping out of his hiding place among the shadows with a predatory grin. "I think this is much more elegant then my little paralyzing trick. I like it more when my target can struggle."

Kakuzo moved in close and Hiei tried to pull back. But the trunk of the tree stopped his retreat. Hiei looked at the vines and smiled. Plants…so easily burned. He closed his eyes and began to summon the mortal flame when Kakuzo's hands suddenly clamped down on his wrists. A strange chanting came from his lips and seemed to fill Hiei's head.

A sharp pain suddenly flashed in each of Hiei's wrists, killing the flames and causing a strangled cry to brush past his lips. When Kakuzo let go, Hiei looked to see two marks written in black, one on each wrist.

"W-what the hell did you do?" His voice was low and deadly.

"It's a simple ward to keep you from burning my beautiful plant." Kakuzo purred. At seeing Hiei's angry face, he sighed. "It's temporary. It will fade, but it will be here long enough to allow me to do what I wish."

Hiei raised a brow, not liking where this was going at all. What moron had let Kakuzo come after him when he specifically told them not to?

"And what do you wish to do?" He asked bitterly.

"You'll see." The shadow youkai taunted, taking a step back and observing the trapped fire demon before him. "You know, you look very vulnerable like that. I find that alluring."

"Well too damn bad for you." Hiei snapped, suddenly not liking this feeling of fright that washed up over him. Kakuzo was right, at the moment, he was vulnerable to anything. Even an obsessed youkai. "You come near me and I kill you when this ward wears off."

"We will see." Kakuzo chuckled, still keeping his distance for the time being. "I must remember to thank Yusuke later. His big mouth did the job of turning Kuwabara against you for me. Makes my job easier of turning on the kitsune's trust."

Kakuzo then turned to Hiei, moving in close and grabbing a hold of his chin, forcing the jaganshi to look at him. Hiei snarled at the cold touch of his hands and quickly averted his eyes. He didn't want to look at the crazed youkai.

He was suddenly shocked back into reality when the shadow demon's lips crushed down on top of his and a hand snaked its way up his shirt. Kakuzo's fingers flitted across the raw skin, drawing a gasp from Hiei. But the apparition found out too late that that wasn't a good idea. Kakuzo's tongue snaked into his mouth, worming against Hiei's as though he could tempt it to fight back.

Hiei shuddered, feeling disgust and contempt run through his body. How could he allow another to touch him like this? He wanted to fight back, he wanted to maim, he wanted to kill, but he was trapped like an animal in a cage. And as so, fright took over. He pulled his head back with gasp as he tried to reach for the hand under his shirt and pull it out.

But the vines moved, sliding down Hiei's arms to grasp his wrists and pull them up over his head so that his hands could not reach Kakuzo's arms. But he wasn't done fighting. As one hand found one of his nipples, he raised his foot, planting it firmly on Kakuzo's chest and kicking. The shadow demon was stunned and took a few step backs. But his composure soon returned with his grin. Two more vines snaked down and grabbed Hiei's ankles binding them to the tree along with his arms.

"Kuso." Hiei snarled, trying to kick out a leg but finding it would no longer move. His crimson orbs turned on the advancing shadow youkai. Hiei was stuck and he knew it. "D-don't touch me." He attempted to snarl.

"I'm afraid you're in no position to be making idle threats Hiei." Kakuzo smirked. "So why don't you just be quiet and enjoy this."

Hiei snarled again and went to comment when the vines tightened, eliciting a scream as thorns sprouted and cut into his flesh. His eyes grew lidded as he growled at the shadow youkai.

"I swear to what ever god it is you worship." He said in a weak tone. "If you so much as look at me the wrong way I will kill you."

"With what, this?" Kakuzo taunted pulling the katana from its sheath and digging the tip deep into the wood above Hiei's hands. "Or your trapped ki? Face it firefly, for the moment you are mine."

**Rape Scene here has been deleted due to the rules of I can e-mail to you if you ask nicely in the review ;) But I warn you…it is graphic…and it is man on man…that's your warning…make your decision wisely!**

The shadow demon then kissed his dried lips, stepping back and redoing the clasp on his own pants. He left Hiei, tied to the tree by vines, naked for all but the pants pooled around his ankles. The jaganshi's body had gone limp, his breath coming in barely hearable pants. Blood had begun drying to the back of his thighs. Tear tracks created rivets in the dirt on his cheeks.

Suddenly footsteps were heard in the nearing distance and Hiei's eyes cracked open, some of his normal fire gone from them. His dried lips parted slightly as a word passed over them like passing over sand paper.

"Kurama?"

Kakuzo smiled before slowly reaching down and dressing Hiei again. He redid Hiei's pants but sighed when he held up the shredded remains that had been his shirt.

"Tsk." He muttered. "You can't very well wear this. Well, no need to let the fox know of this encounter, so down you go Hiei! We will play again later my little firefly!"

The vines suddenly undid themselves and Hiei's dead weight shifted. He soon found himself falling from the tree, the wind rushing past him. The ground reached him with a brutal punch, knocking the wind from him and leaving him gasping for air on the ground. His whole body hurt and he was sure that that was the only thing he would be feeling for a long, long time. He heard the voice gently soothing the parts of his mind that could no longer fight the tainted ki that entered.

_"Until next time my little one."_ He whispered. _"Until next time."_

Hiei could sense more of the green slowly being buried beneath the black purple as his eyes closed. It was then he felt himself being lifted gently from the ground and a voice from far away calling his name. But he couldn't answer them, his own voice had been silenced. With a weak moan, he leaned into the chest and slowly drifted away into oblivion.

**Kurama** held Hiei close as he rushed back towards the camp. He knew the others wouldn't care that Hiei had been attacked. He was the only one who had left when they heard the jaganshi's screams through the forest. Both the ningens were still wallowing in their selfish loathing of the more distant partner.

Holding his bleeding friend close, Kurama ran through the Makai forest, mind a whirl of thoughts. Who could have done this? Why? What was going on in Hiei's head? The kitsune sighed in frustration. He had no idea what to do anymore.

All he could do was run towards the camp, trying desperately to hold the broken pieces of the group together.

**Okay, this chapter is done and in the books. Sigh I'm never happy with a chapter once I'm finished. I guess it's part of the old saying: a writer is their own harshest critic. **

**And I'm sorry I cut out the rape scene…but you can get it from me…it's just that I'd rather cut it out then have delete it, those blimey bastards.**

**Anyway…I hope you enjoy this chapter!**


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